Letters, April 6: No crossing some congressional boundaries

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, speaks to the media as, from second left, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., listen in during a news conference after their tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz. The senators are part of a larger group of legislators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, speaks to the media as, from second left, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., listen in during a news conference after their tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz. The senators are part of a larger group of legislators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Gutierrez, D-Ill., recently wrote that he believes there will be a bipartisan agreement that will give citizenship to every illegal immigrant who gains legal status under any new immigration law. If the Senate's pro-amnesty "gang of eight," proposes a compromise bill, it could well pass in the Democratically controlled Senate, but passing a bill in the House of Representatives is a not a sure bet.

Even Rep. Gutierrez is afraid that the largest immigration organization in America, "NumbersUSA," may have enough influence to prevent the passage in the House. Rep. Gutierrez recently lashed out at them, saying, "I'm going to tell you why you (Republicans) wouldn't negotiate with us. Because you had to negotiate with NumbersUSA."

The reason that NumbersUSA and numerous other immigration organizations are against amnesty is simple: It's a proven failure and encourages more people to enter the country illegally. Gallup ran an extensive poll in 154 countries and found, based on a rolling average, that there are 138 million people who would like to emigrate to the U.S. The countries that have the highest percentage of people wanting to emigrate are from poor countries: Liberia (37 percent), Sierra Leone (30 percent) and the Dominican Republic (28 percent). If another amnesty law is passed, how many of the 138 million will react the same way the current 12 million illegal immigrants reacted to the 1986 amnesty?

Most of the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants are from Latin America. Because President Barack Obama received more than 70 percent of the Hispanic vote, some members in the GOP are running scared and think giving them amnesty will turn many of them toward the Republican Party, but evidence does not support this belief. In 2012 the Pew Hispanic Center found that 75 percent of Hispanics prefer "a bigger government providing more services." According to the Center for Immigration Studies more than 50 percent are currently receiving some sort of public welfare. Members of the Republican Party, who think their support for amnesty will give them a larger percentage of their vote, are wrong.

Those who seek a genuine solution to our immigration problems are also disturbed by the Senate's silence on several issues. Hundreds of thousands of anchor babies are born every year and yet there is no mention or proposed solution by the gang of eight.

Another problem is the admittance of four times (1,135,000) the traditional numbers of legal immigrants. A new analysis of government data by the "Center for Immigration Studies" shows that two-thirds of the net increase in employment, since President Barack Obama took office, has gone to immigrants. Workers and taxpayers are being overwhelmed.

Will the House succumb to special-interest groups and pass an amnesty immigration bill? It is possible, but as the facts sink in, those who want a legitimate solution and believe in the "rule of law" may hold to their principals and not cave in to political expediency. It may be wiser to do nothing in the hopes that we eventually elect a president who sincerely believes in his oath of office and starts enforcing the laws he has sworn to uphold.

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